Redskins salary cap hearing set for May 10

The Redskins’ salary cap arbitration hearing is scheduled for May 10, an NFL spokesman confirmed Wednesday. System arbitrator Stephen Burbank, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, will preside over the case.

Washington is disputing a $36 million salary cap penalty the NFL imposed and the NFL Players Association agreed upon days before the start of free agency last month. The Redskins had $18 million deducted from their 2012 salary cap, and another $18 million deduction is scheduled for 2013.

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League owners penalized the Redskins for moving expensive contracts into the uncapped 2010 season in an attempt to gain a competitive advantage. However, they were not found to have violated any terms of the collective bargaining agreement, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.

Coach Mike Shanahan, owner Daniel Snyder and general manager Bruce Allen have declined to comment on the team’s grievance. Allen, however, disputed the sanction after it was publicized on March 12.

“Every contract entered into by the club during the applicable periods complied with the 2010 and 2011 collective bargaining agreements and, in fact, were approved by the NFL commissioner’s office,” Allen said in a statement that day.

Shanahan at the NFL annual meetings last month strongly implied the penalty has affected the Redskins’ ability to sign free agents this offseason.

It is unclear when Burbank will issue a ruling and what would be done if he rules in the Redskins’ favor. Burbank has power to enforce terms of the CBA and provide “injunctive relief,” according to the CBA.

The Dallas Cowboys are joining the Redskins in the arbitration process. They were separately penalized $10 million.